


The Heart of the Sea

by Lonely_Stargazer



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Dark, Grief/Mourning, Lighthouses, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Sirens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:48:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25448629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonely_Stargazer/pseuds/Lonely_Stargazer
Summary: Set in June of 1922, Bard, a former veteran who served in WWI, has returned to Padstow to resume his lonely post as the lighthouse keeper of the Trevose Head lighthouse. Plagued by horrific memories from the war and grief from the death of a close comrade, Wolfram, Bard’s days have become a monotonous tedium of work, the sea, and consuming emptiness. That is until a chance encounter with a bewitchingly handsome stranger on a stormy beach reawakens something within him…something he thought had died with Wolfram.
Relationships: Baldroy/Sebastian Michaelis
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	The Heart of the Sea

He hadn’t intended on going to the beach that night.

Even before the dark clouds encroached on the horizon, he had known a storm was coming. His aching shoulder and the hint of sweetness on the brine of the ocean air had been sign enough. Bard shifted in his chair, the rickety thing creaking as he leaned forward to snatch another cigarette from his tin. It closed with a snap, followed by a promising flick and sizzle, the pristinely white tip of his smoke giving way to the molten glow of flame, leaving a stub of ash in its wake. 

He sighed deeply and propped his feet on the small tabletop while he leaned back, his eyes closing with satisfaction as the kick of nicotine pacified the itch that had been pestering him the past half hour. The panes rattled with another hard gust of wind. He cracked his eyes open, casting the long sheets of glass an indifferent side-glance. The storm must be working up to quite the gale if it was shaking the transparent barrier. Bard stood, shuffling with disinterest toward the viewing area, his cheeks caving as he took in a long drag and stared past his reflection into the consuming darkness. Even the moon had been obscured. The rain would follow soon behind.

“It’s gonna be a bloody long night,” he huffed, a cloud of smoke billowing from his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck and cast a weary look over toward the telegraph machine on his desk.

He had meant to see to the internal maintenance of the lighthouse tonight, but those hopes had soon dwindled when the storm set in as night had fallen. Instead, his hours would be spent in quiet, attentive watchfulness, alone, venturing periodically from the lantern room to the observation windows down below, eyes peeled for any signs of distress, ears trained for the tell-tale beeping of the telegraph.

Bard snorted sardonically at the thought. If only his watch would be so interesting. In reality such a night meant he would be holed inside the beacon, reading his already well worn copy of _The Enormous Room_ and smoking until the first signs of dawn. Maybe sketching, if it took his fancy. It probably wouldn’t. Not much seemed to hold his fancy these days. Each day came and went with the same monotony, blurring together like watercolor. It was an easy thing to do out here, lose track of time. Especially when often, his only company was himself, his haunted memories, and the ever present roar of the tide.

A roar that he could hear right now, even over the howling of the wind and the rattling of the lantern room windows. Though, as the lens rotated, blindingly illuminating his features, it wasn’t the crashing of the waves against the nearby cliffs that caught his interest. He cast an inquisitive glance over to the telegraph, but it sat still and silent as it had been all night. His ears strained as he tried to make out the sound, but there was nothing, only the tide and the wind.

“You’re spendin’ way too much time all by your lonesome,” Bard chided, running his fingers through his golden-blond hair. “All the quiet’s drivin’ you to hear things.”

He tapped the ash from his cigarette, pinching the remaining stub before taking one last deep drag in a feeble attempt to rid himself of the nagging feeling in his gut. However, a moment later he froze mid-breath, his heart pounding in his chest as he heard…he heard—

He couldn’t describe the sound, for it wasn’t one at all, like the pause between notes or the final breath before firing a shot. It pulled every fiber in his body taut, leaving him waiting in expectation, the silence speaking without words–a call. Shaking his head, he extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray in frustration, any soothing effect of the gasper now gone. Instead, he paced to and fro, anxious and jittery. _What was wrong with him?_

Running a trembling hand through his hair, his chest heaved with a heavy sigh as he muttered to himself, “You’re just antsy, is all. Been pissing down for the past three days, so you’ve not been nowhere ‘cept your cabin and the lighthouse.”

“Yeah,” he added, snatching his navy blue uniform jacket from where it was draped on the back of his chair, reassuring himself as he donned it, “A little fresh air’s all you need. You’ll go mad if you have to stay cooped up ‘ere all night.”

The scent of sulfur burnt his nose as he struck a match to light his lamp. He briefly made a mental note it needed some oil when the knob gave a grating whine as he turned it, coaxing the eager flame to life. Bard extinguished the match and dropped it in the ashtray as well and made for the stairs. A jaunt down to the beach wouldn’t hurt. He would be gone ten minutes, twenty at most. Just a little time to breathe in that mind-clearing ocean air and stretch his legs was all he needed.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

The moment he stepped from the shelter of the lighthouse, he halted, craning his neck to loosen the tension that had suddenly pulled them tighter. He gave a sharp exhale, his free hand clenching and relaxing as he tried to dispel the need that wound his insides like a vice. It was worse than any craving. Agitating and insistent, it clawed at him like an itch he couldn’t quite reach. He ran frantic fingers through his hair, grasping for any solution which might bring relief. _The beach_ , he realized, eyes widening with epiphany, _if he could only get to the beach_.

It was that thought that led him from his station, crossing the lawn with long strides as he headed straight for the worn dirt path that weaved down the steep hillside. The wind struck his cheeks, harsh and unforgiving, but he paid it no mind, pressing forward as the familiar dirt path gave way to soft sand. His footing was sure despite the give of the ground beneath his polished shoes. Every dune, every crag and crevice had been committed to memory over the years until the landscape became as familiar to him as his own body. He could navigate this path while asleep, which was almost how he felt at the moment. 

His movements were slow, his mind sluggish, his feet guiding him with their own purpose as he pressed on. To what destination, he didn’t know, but he was spurned forward by a yearning he’d not felt in years. Wherever he was headed, he needed it desperately. 

Scaling one of the dunes, his foot caught on a root that had been freshly exposed by the wind and he stumbled, crashing to his hands and knees. He hissed as he braced himself, pain shooting through his left shoulder, radiating from the gunshot wound that would never fully heal. A great clap of thunder boomed as he staggered to his feet and, amidst all the chaos, a still, small voice questioned, _why are you here_? 

Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, he knew he should heed the warning. It wasn’t safe. He should turn back. However, the call continued, persistent as it was tantalizing, luring him—and he was powerless to resist.

Spray from the roiling waves splattered across his face as a streak of lightning shot across the sky, briefly illuminating the cavern of Lover’s Cove. He slowly wiped the droplets from his stubbled cheek with a rough hand, paying no mind to the crashing of the waves against the shore and the ever mounting rolling of thunder as the storm began blowing in with full fury. Rather, his attention was trained on the darting path of the beam of lamplight over the tan sand as he tried to catch sight of exactly what was calling him. _Whatever it was_ , he thought, his stomach tensing with eager anticipation, _he was close_. He could feel it.

That was when he heard it. Over the deafening howl of the wind, the pounding of the waves, and the rumbling of the oncoming storm, a sound echoed in his ears, all encompassing, as if he were surrounded only by the quiet shelter of the lighthouse…a _hum_. It was a rich, smooth, mellifluous baritone sound that stirred his heart. The unrecognizable tune was tainted with melancholy that spoke of deep loneliness, ominous and alluring.

So caught up in the melodious sound, it took him a moment to regain his voice when he first caught glimpse of him. As the beam of his lamplight trailed along the shore, its garish light came to rest on the figure of a man. Bard halted, breath hitching, his heart seizing at the sight. The man stood knee deep in the tumultuously dangerous waters, facing away from Bard, staring at something unseen across the waves. His loose brown trousers were soaked and clung to his legs—although he had rolled them up above his knees—and his white dress shirt fluttered in the tempestuous wind. Bard swallowed thickly, hum still clearly sounding in his ears as his gaze trailed the man’s frame from the blowing of his onyx locks, down his athletically built torso to the pert mound of his rear, to the muscular pillars of his legs. Even without the man facing him, he knew he would be breathtaking.

He blinked, shaking his head, a more logical concern surfacing. _What was that bloke doing? He was going to get himself killed!_

With that thought, Bard raised his hand, cupping his mouth as he shouted to the gentleman a mere fifteen feet from him, “Hey! Get away from there!” 

The man turned slowly toward him, like he had not heard him clearly at first. As he did, Bard’s breath caught in his chest. Long, dark fringes fluttered in the wind, outlining a sharp, narrow face which contrasted nicely to the full softness of his lips and the entrancing depths of his strangely hued eyes. The humming grew louder, drowning out the oppressing noise of the storm. 

“Hey!” Bard called again, though his voice was weaker this time as he took several steps toward the man, “It’s not safe! Step back!”

His arms felt heavy as he waved them, trying to usher the man back to the safety of the beach. However, despite clearly being able to see Bard, the man did not move. He remained resolutely still, undeterred by the sizable wave that crashed into his side, immediately soaking him through.

Bard growled at the man’s blatant disregard and stomped forward. Handsome or not, he wasn’t afraid to get rough with the man if it meant saving his life. 

“Don’t be a bloody idiot! Get back! The tide’ll get ya!”

It wasn’t until Bard made it to about five feet within the man that he moved, though his overall demeanor did not change. He walked up the shore, calm and leisurely, as if he were out for a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll, stopping just short of the fanning edges of the waves. Turning on his heel to face Bard once more, he clasped his hands behind his back, a subtle smile on his lips, a playful defiance dancing in his gaze as pelting drops of rain began to fall.

Bard wanted to scream. _What was wrong with this guy? Did he think this was a game? Didn’t he realize how much danger he was in?_

Despite his frustration, he couldn’t bring himself to lash out at the man, something in the soothing humming dampening his retaliation. Instead, he approached, ignoring the stirrings of hungry curiosity within him as he reached out and rested his hand on the man’s muscular shoulder. His skin was warm despite the chill of the soaked clothes that clung to his frame.

“Come now, there’s a storm bearing right down on us. It isn’t safe to be out here,” he said, his sky-blue gaze capturing the man’s russet one as he added, “Let’s get you home.”

The man’s smile widened at his words, his expression bordering on affectionate as he answered, “That sounds nice.”

Bard’s heart stuttered at the sound. The man’s voice was as smooth as the honeyed, dulcet tones of the hum that still echoed in his mind. Something about the timbre sent a shiver down his back and straight to his cock.

Bard cleared his throat in a vain attempt to sort his thoughts. If only he could somehow drown out that intoxicating hum. 

“Where…where do you live?” he asked.

The man flashed Bard a brilliantly white smile. “Here.”

A wave crashed along the shore beside them, the sound jarring and resonating like it had been struck with Poseidon’s fist. Bard’s face was doused in water, the cool spray splattering over him, soaking straight through his jacket. He sputtered and clamped his eyes shut as they burned. Reaching up, he roughly wiped them and blinked, lashes still damp. He glanced up and his heart nearly stopped, a noxious unease settling in his stomach as if he had been jolted from a particularly horrifying dream.

His gaze followed the trail of the lantern’s light, searching. But he was alone, except for the rain, sand, and sea.

The man was gone.

And so was the humming.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I want to give a huge shout out and thank you to Plague for beta-ing this story. And I encourage you all to check out their stories, too at [Plague of Insomnia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiealeman/pseuds/plague%20of%20insomnia). _Where Demons Hide_ is a fantastic story!
> 
> Secondly, thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of this Sebard short story. If you enjoyed, please let me know by leaving kudos or a comment below. Your support means more than you know! Feedback is a writer's necessary sustenance. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading! Cheers! <3


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